


In The Air Tonight

by Sira



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-08-12 09:15:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7929178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sira/pseuds/Sira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Welcome back to WVEE 2, Atlanta’s best radio station. It’s three a.m. in the morning and I’m Carol Peletier."<br/>When Carol Peletier calls a stranger called Daryl Dixon to interview him for her new show, she has no idea that her life is going to be turned upside down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> Thanks so much for the beta read, serpetinefire. You rock. All remaining mistakes are mine.
> 
> This is as AU as it can get. No ZA and all. I just love writing AU so much and needed a break from writing too much smut. :) I actually feel better now.

Drowning the rest of her coffee while the track’s last few seconds played, she took a quick glance at her notes, although she didn’t really need to. She knew she had everything down pat.

“Welcome back to WVEE 2, Atlanta’s best radio station. It’s three a.m. in the morning and I’m Carol Peletier. I’m sure most of you haven’t turned in for the first time, but just in case you have, welcome to ‘Insomnia Hour’, the part of the night when we’ll talk to like-minded people.”

There were more of them than one would think. Before she’d started working here, she thought she was different, one of the few crazy people who just couldn’t sleep, at least not at regular hours, this job though had taught her otherwise.

“Now for the last couple of days we haven’t waited for you to call us but have called you. We‘ve asked our listeners to give us the names of those they know will be wide awake at this time of the night and then called them. We want to get to know them, want to know their stories. Yesterday we spoke to Glenn, a young father who has stopped sleeping through the night when he took a job as pizza delivery guy to finance college. Now he uses his ability to function at any time of the night to lighten the load of his wife Maggie. Maggie, I hope you know how good you have it with this man of yours. Not many women get to stay in bed when the kids are crying.”

She knew she hadn’t. Ed wouldn’t have dreamed of getting up for Sophia. Not even once did he leave bed to look after his child. If at all he’d punished her for their daughter waking him up. Well, all that had been a long time ago. She’d never meet Glenn and Maggie but she wished them all the best, hoped life would work out for them.

“Today we’ve got a tip from Rick. He says he’s got a friend that never seems to sleep. So how about we call his friend and see what he does to pass the hours? His name is Daryl, by the way.”

She’d lie if she said she was behind the show’s new concept but Shane, their new boss, thought it was a great idea to call those who had never agreed to be on the radio in the first place. Some people, like Glenn, were willing to chat, but in the few days since they’d added this feature to the show, she already had one guy who was less than amused about the fact she’d called him in the middle of the night. Hell, she even doubted he’d been awake.

Who knew if the people who called or mailed them saying they knew another insomniac weren’t lying in the first place? No, there was no money for a fact checker, no, they couldn’t make the calls one night and actually air them another, so they could be sure not to greet their audience with a string of curses not fit for public consumption. Sooner or later they would be shut down going on like that but it wasn’t as if Shane was listening to reason. Maybe if he stopped coming on to anybody looking remotely female… Ah well…

If her job interview penned out she might transfer to a different station in the not so far distant future

Waiting for her call to yet another unknown person to connect, she let her gaze roam the mostly dark and empty studio. Right now it was only her and a technician. She knew most radio DJs hated night shifts but she loved it. It was mostly quiet and the nervous energy that contaminated the building throughout the day was all but absent. What was not to love?

“Yeah?” a deep voice greeted her.

“Daryl? Am I talking to Daryl Dixon?”

“Yeah. What the hell you want?”

Alright, it would be another one of those calls. She suppressed a sigh, did her best to sound calm and friendly.

“Hi, my name is Carol and this is Insomnia Hour. You’re actually live on WVEE 2. We got a tip from a friend that you’re one of us and tend to spend your nights awake. Now we’d like to get to know you.”

“Is that some fuckin’ joke, lady, ‘cause lemme tell ya, you’re not funny.”

Yeah, it was just going as well as expected.

“No, it’s not a joke. Within the last days we actually…”

“Who gave ya that tip?”

Usually she wouldn’t have hesitated answer his question, but she suspected his friend would get to hear an earful if she gave up his name now.

“I can’t say.”

“Means ya don’t wanna. Don’t wanna be on the fuckin’ radio. Go and embarrass someone else.”

He ended the call, leaving her to pick up the pieces. She put on her best cheerful voice.

“Well, we know the tip was valid at least, because Daryl sounded wide awake, don’t you think? Now let’s have some music and then maybe you’ll call us and tell us your favorite ways to spend the night? Anyway, how about a classic?”

She started ‘In The Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins and leaned back, reaching for the coffee pot. The stuff they brewed here tasted even worse than it smelled but she wasn’t picky when it came to caffeine.

The next time she saw Shane, she’d give him a piece of her mind. This wasn’t only embarrassing for her but seemingly also for some of the people she called. Daryl Dixon might have been angry, but underneath his venom, he had sounded truly uncomfortable.

It made her feel bad for no reason she could explain.

Opening a line she dialed his number before she could think twice. This was highly unprofessional but nothing about that whole concept was professional to begin with. She only knew she felt bad about this. He hadn’t asked to be exposed like that.

Carol hadn’t forgotten how that felt like. Often enough she had to bear the whispers and stolen looks when she showed up fetching Sophia from school, sporting fresh bruises.

Daryl picked up after the second ring.

“What the fuck. I want ya to leave me alone,” he greeted with anger once more.

“Listen, Daryl, don’t hang up just yet. I called to apologize and you’re not on air now.” He was silent for so long she wondered if he would ever reply.

“Why should I believe ya?”

“There’s no reason, to, I know. But I promise this is the truth. It’s up to you to believe me or not.”

He fell silent again, but at least he hadn’t ended the call yet.

“I… this whole thing… it wasn’t my idea. Right now it’s part of my job to call people in the middle of the night for a chat. It was never my intention to embarrass anyone. I feel like I did embarrass you though and I’m sorry.”

Another pause followed as she waited for him to react in whatever fashion he chose.

“You should stop that shit.”

“What shit?”

“This… concept. It ain’t right to call people in the middle of the night.”

She leaned back in her chair, cradling her mug.

“I agree.

“But you won’t stop.”

He didn’t sound angry any longer, just resigned to the fact life was seldom fair.

She sighed. “It’s not up to me to decide what to air and what not. But why don’t you file a complaint. With any luck they’ll fire my boss and we can go back to regular schedule.”

“Might even do it.”

“Please do.”

It would teach Shane a lesson. While she deemed him beyond redemption it couldn’t hurt anyway.

“Ya sure it won’t backfire on you?”

“Honestly, no.”

She was at the point she stopped caring. Not that long ago she used to love her job, now she felt uneasy whenever she got to call another stranger. Not that one, though. After the initial explosion he was strangely easy to talk to.

“Then I better not call anyone, huh?”

His accent was rather strong, told her he was a Georgia native, but she like his deep yet soft voice.

“Do it. Really. You didn’t deserve this and have any right to complain. “

She knew she had about a minute left until she had to continue with her show, and she saw she already had callers in the line.

“Would you mind me asking one question?” she asked.

The worst he could say was ‘no’.

“Mind you askin’ me a question? No. Not sure I’ll answer it, though.”

“Fair enough. So I think you’re just like me, an insomniac... If you are, what is it you do all night?”

That she didn’t like calling the unsuspecting didn’t mean she wasn’t curious.

He didn’t answer right away, and she was running out of time.

“Listen, I have to get back on air. I really only wanted to apol…”

“Well, if ya really interested in the answer just call me again. Just not from the studio.”

The line went dead and she had fifteen seconds to spare. For no good reason her heart was beating a bit too fast in her chest and she could feel a smile tugging at her lips. What the hell?

She had no idea who this Daryl Dixon was. But maybe… she’d try to find out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I admit it, I couldn’t let go of this story, or rather the characters wouldn’t quiet down until I promised to tell their story. Before you read this chapter, I should warn you, though. I either write oneshots or rather long stories. I think this is going to be one of the longer ones. So if you decide to dive in, I ask you to be a bit patient with me while I try to tackle two WIPS and life at the same time. 
> 
> That said, I have to thank two wonderful, special women. kaoscraze82 and serpetinefire kindly corrected my mistakes and helped me with the general flow of the story. Without them this chapter would be rather dreadful. Thank you, ladies. My gratitude will be yours forever!!! I know how blessed I am to have you two to rely on. All remaining mistakes are mine.

His alarm woke him from a fitful sleep. Reaching out to quiet the blasting noise, he rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. His limbs felt too heavy to be of any use to him and his gritty eyes blurred his vision. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered to go to bed. Sleep would always be a long time in coming, was seldom restful and an hour or two later his alarm would tell him it was time to get up or he'd be late for work. Being your own boss didn't mean you had more liberties but more responsibilities. 

He got up after barely a minute, knowing that if it wasn’t now he’d fall asleep again and not wake up for an hour or two. Stumbling more than walking, he made his way to the bathroom feeling like a zombie. He needed a shower and coffee. …Lots of coffee…. Not that he could allow himself to take the time to prepare himself some. 

They'd have a customer early this morning. There was no time to be slow about anything today. Rick counted on him. 

Thinking of Rick, he remembered the strange call he'd received last night. Some woman named Carol, claiming she worked for a radio station, had told him Rick had told her to call. If that was true, he'd have to have a word or two with Rick. What the fuck was he thinking? If he wanted to know why he couldn't sleep and what he did to pass the time, he could always ask. Not that Daryl would answer him. It was none of Rick’s fucking business. 

He knew he'd been rude to Carol, but it wasn't as if he'd asked to be put on the air. Although he had to hand it to her, she had to have some balls to call him afterwards and apologize. And she’d told him to file a complaint as well. Maybe he would.

Stepping into the shower and starting the water, he hissed when the cold droplets hit his sleep-warm skin. He hated cold showers with a passion, but they were effective. Reaching for the liquid soap, allowing the temperature to raise a notch, his thoughts circled back to his brief conversation with this woman. He’d liked her voice… 

With a start he remembered he told her to call him again, but not from the studio. 

He groaned. Why had he done that? He didn’t want her to call. She wouldn’t, would she? God, this woman had only felt bad about embarrassing him. That was all. He shook his head at his own stupidity. Not that there was anything he could do about this now. She wouldn’t call anyway.

Stopping the water, Daryl reached for a towel. If he was quick, he’d have time to stop for a coffee on his way to the garage. He could do with an extra-strong dose of caffeine. There was a chance Rick would already be in anyway.

Making it to work about half an hour, Daryl quickly spotted Rick’s car, unsure if he was happy to see him or not. He hated confrontation, but he refused to be the butt of a joke because Rick had his panties in a knot for some unfathomable reason. Grabbing the almost empty cup of coffee, he got out of his car, finishing off the last remnants as he walked towards the door and discarding the empty cup in the trash on his way in. 

The shop was mostly quiet at this time of morning since no one else had arrived yet, but he could hear Rick whistling just up ahead. For no good reason the cheerful tune made him angry. 

Part of him knew it was ridiculous to think Rick was in a good mood because he pranked him, but it wouldn’t be the first time someone had tried to amuse themselves at his expense. As his therapist had told him, he couldn’t always control his feelings, but at the end of the day he would be held accountable for his actions.

Taking a deep breath, he entered their small office, finding Rick studying a catalogue with rare bike parts. Rick only gave him a cursory glance.

“Mornin’. Just checking this out. They’ve got that exhaust pipe we need. I’ll call them later. Maybe we can make a deal.”

When he didn’t reply after a moment, Rick looked up at him, frowning. 

“What’s…?” The look on his face must’ve keyed Rick in to what had happened and he ran a hand through his beard. “Listen, I never meant to…”

“What the fuck, man?” He wasn’t in the mood for excuses. “What gave you the idea to sign me up for some fucked up radio show? If you can’t sleep at night either, you could’ve called them to talk to you instead of having some lady pester me for the amusement of her audience!”

His voice resonated through the empty space, making him sound even angrier. Rick, obviously taken aback, turned around so quickly, his chair crashed into the file cabinet behind him. 

“It’s not like that. I mean it is, but…”

“Stop stutterin’. Bet you didn’t stutter when you ratted me out to that radio station.”

Despite the anger he still felt over the situation, Rick’s face showed his remorse over the situation. Still, if he was smart he’d cough up a good explanation, and quick. 

Rick sighed.

“Okay, will you give me a few minutes to explain? Please? And if you still want to afterwards, you can beat the snot outta me then.”

“Talk.”

“I… spoke to Lori last week. She…”

“What the fuck does your ex have to do with this?” 

“If you shut up, I’ll explain, okay?”

Rick looked angry now, too, but he took a deep breath before running his hand through his beard another time. It was about time he got rid of the abomination. Hell, maybe if Rick would consider shaving it off, he’d stick it in a Ziploc baggie and give it to him as a souvenir to put in his fridge.

“Just talk faster.”

Rick snorted but continued. “So I spoke to Lori about a trip I’d like to take with Carl next weekend. She agreed, telling me she had some party to attend at this radio station Shane is working for now anyway.”

“Since when does Shane work for a radio station?”

“See, that was my question as well. It seems he was fired at his last job and a friend of his, Phillip Blake, got him a job as manager at WVEE 2.”

He snorted. Of course. Why was it always the assholes that fell softly when life knocked them down? People like Shane didn’t deserve second chances, let alone a third one in this case. 

Daryl had never spent much time around him, but he knew the guy wasn’t good news. Rick and Shane had been best friends, working on the force together, but then Rick found out that Shane had been having an affair with his wife. Things got heated quickly and a fist fight broke out at the police station, causing everyone to miss the report of a bank robber fleeing the scene of a crime. They were both suspended but Rick lost his passion for the work and left to pursue things with Daryl while Shane eventually got fired for a DUI. Around the same time Rick and Lori separated, Lori also found out that she was pregnant. At this point, nobody knew if it was Shane or Rick who fathered the kid and they weren’t likely to find out for sure until she gave birth.

“And what does this all have to do with me?”

“It made me angry that Shane can mess up and still come out ahead. So, Lori told me he was responsible for WVEE’s night program. That night, I tuned in, I don’t even know why, and that’s when I heard about their show ‘Insomnia Hour’ and that they were looking to talk to people who are insomniacs.”

Rick rolled back with his chair and took up a pen, began doodling onto the sheet of paper in front of him.

“Hearing that, it made me think of you. And then I couldn’t help but think that if they really called you, they would get to hear an earful and maybe, just maybe, it would reflect badly on Shane. It was a stupid idea, and I know I should’ve told you right away, but I didn’t. I didn’t even know if they would choose you, honestly. Part of me hoped they would, but I wasn’t sure”

Having finished, Rick’s hand stilled and he met his gaze again, waiting for whatever judgment was about to come his way. He knew he’d screwed up, but it didn’t mean that Daryl didn’t want to tear him a new one anyway. Still, people did stupid things for stupid reasons. Fuck, he knew he had. 

It was obvious that things with Rick and Lori were still tough and he’d lost both his best friend and his first love in the deal. He didn’t know if he could be so forgiving if he were in the same situation.

“I hope you had fun then last night,” he growled, making his way to their old fashioned coffee maker. At least Rick had the foresight to prepare him with the only stuff that could get him over his bad mood eventually.

“No, I didn’t. I was so intent on hurting Lori and Shane that I forgot about the friend who helped me with all this shit. So yeah, I’m sorry.”

“You better be.” 

He took the steaming mug and sat down on his seat. Damn, this office was cramped. Although if they continued to luck out with orders like they had so far, they might be able to upgrade sometime next year. When he didn’t say anything else, Rick gave him a long look before going back to work. Daryl finished his coffee, knowing it would most likely be the last one for hours. He got up but turned before he’d left the office. 

“I might be able to help ya.”

Rick looked up, frowned.

“Help with what?”

“Shane.”

“I don’t understand.”

Rick tilted his head to the side, waited for him to continue and for a moment he considered ending this conversation right here and then, despite having started it. This couldn’t lead to anything good. Only that he didn’t like Shane one bit, either. And maybe, just maybe it would be a reason to talk to her again. He shoved the thought away as quickly as it had entered his mind. Seemingly nice women didn’t want to talk to random guys that all but yelled at them in the middle of the night.

“Daryl, what is it?”

He stopped chewing at his cuticle, never mind he couldn’t recall starting it. It was an annoying habit he couldn’t stop himself from doing. 

“Alright, not sayin’ I’m doin’ it but when I hung up last night, the lady from the radio station called me back. She apologized to me, told me that it’s her boss making her call random people without askin’ their permission first. Told me to file a complaint. And seein’ her boss has to be Shane…”

Rick’s eyes lit up for a moment but then he sighed, shaking his head.

“That wouldn’t be a good idea, I guess. It might end up getting her in trouble and it wouldn’t be right.”

Rick Grimes, Mr. Nice Guy. Knowing him for a while now, he knew that Rick had his flaws and edges but looking at him he seemed to be the eternal boy scout, even with that hideous thing he called a beard.

“You couldn’t grow a conscience before you threw out my name, huh?”

“Yeah, I know. But just because I made a mistake there’s no need to make it all worse.”

He nodded and turned. If that was Rick’s decision, so be it. There was a bike waiting for him and a customer reeking of money due in an hour or two.

It was late in the afternoon when he thought about this whole matter for the next time. Not having time for either breakfast or lunch, he made his way across the street, entering the small, family-owned diner that made the best burgers in all of Georgia in his opinion. It was run by Maggie and Glenn Rhee, a young married couple who started off working on her daddy’s farm and eventually opened the business with his help, using their freshly grown produce. Their first few months had been tough on them, but thanks to word of mouth they now had a steady stream of customers.

“Hey, Dixon,” Glenn greeted him right when he entered. “What can I get you? So they got you, too, huh?”

He suppressed a sigh. He’d found out quickly that Glenn was the chatty one in the relationship and was always trying to drag him into some kind of conversation. Usually he was looking for advice, although what made him think a lone bachelor had anything to offer him was a mystery.

“Who got me?”

“Carol Peletier, Insomnia Hour. I was on it last week.”

Of course he was. Wasn’t it his fucking luck that of the handful of people that might be awake at such ungodly hours, Glenn Rhee had to be one of them? He tried hard to keep his frustration out of his voice.

“Good for ya. I’ll take a burger and fries. And some of that lemon iced tea.”

For once he chose a table in the front of the restaurant. It was probably paranoia, but part of him wanted to be closer to an exit in case anybody else flagged him down about being on the show. People in small towns like this tended to talk and word got around fast. 

He was lost in his thoughts when Glenn served his food.

“Listen, man. Maggie thinks I owe you an apology, so….sorry. You know, they didn’t mean any harm. Insomnia Hour, that is. It’s only a show. Entertainment for us night owls.”

Daryl couldn’t contain his glare and Glenn took the hint, leaving quickly. Why couldn’t everyone just mind their own damn business? He ate his food quickly and washed it down with the tea before exiting, not giving anyone else a chance to bother him.

The rest of the day flew by quickly and the one good thing Daryl could say about it was that he finally finished the bike he’d been working on for weeks. He stood back to admire it and heard Rick come up from behind him. 

“She’s a true beauty,” Rick said.

“Yeah, she is.”

“Too bad we gotta sell her.”

Looking at Rick, he quirked an eyebrow. “Sorry, man but you’re not biker material.”

Rick laughed out quietly. “You haven’t seen my wild side, yet.”

“Sure, man. Anyway, see ya tomorrow.”

Daryl smirked. Rick Grimes and his wild side. Sure… if hell froze over, maybe.

He grabbed his things and headed back to the house. It wasn’t far and when he opened the door, he was greeted by the ringing of the telephone. What was it with his phone these last days? He rarely got any calls. He hadn’t heard of from Merle in years, had no other family to speak of, and could count on one hand how many close friend he had. He’d just left one minute before. 

Grabbing the phone on the third ring, he held it to his ear. “Yeah?”

“Hello, Daryl? This is Carol. From WVEE 2. This time I’m not calling from the radio station. I hope this is okay?”

He was flummoxed. Yeah, he told her to call, but really? She sounded insecure too, like she was already regretting the call. He cleared his throat. 

“Yeah, it is. Okay, I mean.”

He fell silent, having no idea what else to say. 

“Good. That’s… good. Are you still mad at me?”

He began to pace the narrow hallway of his house. “No, I’m not. Wasn’t your fault.”

“I’ve got to say, I’m glad you believe me.”

He thought he could hear her smiling. She had a beautiful voice, calm but with a trace of humor that had him intrigued and made him want to prompt her to continue to talk to him so he could hear it again.

“Well, you didn’t lie to me, did ya?”

“No, I didn’t.”

He had no reason to trust her on this, yet he did. 

“Good. So…,” he trailed off.

He wasn’t exactly great with conversations, especially with the opposite sex. Despite wanting to keep talking to her, he had no idea where to take things next. 

“So, you told me I should call if I want to find out how you pass the time at night when you can’t sleep.”

He had. Couldn’t blame her for asking now. Only he didn’t like to talk about himself. Again, he remained silent, cursing himself to the moon and back for being an absolute douchebag. After many painful seconds had ticked by, he thought he heard Carol sigh. 

“I’m sorry. Whatever you do, it’s none of my business, I know. I’ve got no right to pry. I shouldn’t have contacted you. It’s unprofessional and…”

“No, wait.” He couldn’t listen to this any longer. “It’s not your fault. Just… I ain’t good with shit like this.”

“Shit like this?”

The amusement was back in shovels and spades. He ran a hand through his hair. If he wanted to save the tatters of his dignity, he‘d better hang up now. Well, he had to find a nice way to say goodbye and then hang up. Only when had he ever done the smart thing?

“I ain’t no good talkin’ to people.”

This time she was silent for so long he wondered if he had said something wrong.

“I guess it’s one more reason I shouldn’t have called you yesterday or today. I…”

“I tell ya, if you say ‘I’m sorry’ one more time, I’m gonna hang up on ya.”

She laughed quietly and he found himself smirking in return, glad she couldn’t see him. 

“It’s a habit. I can’t quite help it. I’ll try not to apologize again, though, how does that sound?”

“Better.”

“Good. Although I’ve got to confess, I’ve got no idea what to talk about now. I’m not that much into talking about myself either.”

He bit back a snort, thinking they could always talk about the weather. Fuck, he was ridiculous.

“Ya like coffee?”

“I… yeah, I do. Why?”

“When do you start working?”

“At midnight.”   
She paused. “Wait, are you asking me out on a coffee date?”

And he was. Only he didn’t ask out women and he didn’t have a fuckin’ clue how to carry on a conversation face to face either. It was different with the few friends he had. They kinda knew him and didn’t expect him to say much. But trying to talk to a woman he didn’t know? He had to be batshit crazy. 

“Daryl?”

“Yeah. So… you wanna meet for coffee?”

“You don’t even know where I live and I’ve got no idea where you live. But… yeah, I’d like that.”

“I’m… I live in Fayetteville.”

“Nice. We’re living in Inman Park.”

We? Did he just invite a married woman to coffee? And geez, he had no idea how old she was or how she looked. She could be eighteen or eighty. He should really try using this dumb head of his.

“My daughter Sophia and I. Anyway, I don’t think I’ll make it to Fayetteville and work in time.”

“So how about we meet at some coffee shop somewhere near to ya? Don’t have any plans tonight.”

As if he had plans most of his days.

“Okay, if you’re sure you don’t mind.”

“Naw, I don’t.”

He had obviously lost his head. This was a really bad idea and he should just shut up. Too bad his brain still didn’t get the message.

“Okay, how about we meet at ‘Inman Perk Coffee’. It’s right on North Highland Avenue. The name’s a bit ridiculous and I think somebody watched too much Friends, but the coffee is to die for, I swear. So… how about meeting there at ten?”

The name didn’t ring a bell with him, but he figured it couldn’t be too hard to find. “Sounds good. I’ll be there.”

If he didn’t chicken out before that, that was.

“I know this is weird, but… I’m looking forward to getting to know you,” she said, her voice soft with a trace of something he couldn’t quite peg. 

He had to clear his throat again.

“Same. So… how will I recognize you?”

“Well, let’s see. I’ve got grey hair and more than a few people told me the way I dress is a bit eccentric. But anyway, they’ve got my picture up on the radio station’s website.”

“Okay, will have a look at it. See ya soon then.”

“You will. Bye, Daryl.”

She hung up and he leaned back against the wall, banging his head against it repeatedly. What had he just agreed to?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank the wonderful kaoscraze82 again. Thanks so much for taking the time to make this a better (and readable) story. I owe you!!! All remaining mistakes are mine.

Sophia sat in the kitchen, bent over her homework. At the creak of the old floorboards, she looked up, a scowl on her face.

"What do you want?”

World peace, a pay raise and a paid vacation were high up on Carol’s bucket list, although right now she’d settle for having pre-teen Sophia back; the shy girl with the sweet smile and impeccable manners. With her daughter’s fourteenth birthday looming in less than a month, she knew these times were over. It didn’t mean she couldn’t miss them.

“I’m thirsty. I’d like some water, if you don’t mind.”

Not waiting for an answer, Carol fetched the open bottle from the table, pouring herself a glass.

“Listen, Sophia. I’ll have to leave early tonight. I’ve got a… meeting.”

Sophia just shrugged.

“Have fun.”

The girl hadn’t even looked up. Silently counting to five, Carol spoke again.

“I want you to finish your homework before you watch tv and please don’t stay up too late. “

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. “You act like I need a nanny to monitor my every move.” 

“Who are you calling a nanny?” Andrea’s voice rang out right before the front door fell shut.

“Geez, ears like an elephant and with great timing nonetheless.” Sophia murmured quietly.

“Sophia Louise. Mind your manners,” Carol said, matching her daughter’s glare with one of her own.

“What’s the matter, girls?” Andrea said, entering the kitchen, smiling from one to the other. 

She was wearing a crisp new suit that hugged her best features, her perfectly tamed hair was back in a ponytail, and her makeup would have made a model jealous. Carol had no idea how she did it. She knew Andrea had heard Sophia’s remark, as well as her own, but god bless her friend for her selective hearing sometimes. 

“Nothing,” Carol said, not quite able to suppress a sigh. “I’ll have to go in early tonight. I’ve got a meeting. Will you…” 

“Take care that Sophia Louise will finish her homework and be in her bed at a respectable time? Sure, mom, I will,” Andrea said.

And sometimes Carol wondered who was the teenager here, really. 

“I see you’re in a good mood today,” she said, ignoring Sophia’s snicker.

Sophia might call Andrea a nanny, though in fact the two were tight as thieves, always up to no good and in the end still doing the responsible thing. 

“Yeah, I am. I had a good day at court. You remember that fucking pimp that I…”

“Andrea, please.”

She should really write the book: How to raise your kid with manners when your roommate swears like a sailor. Who knew it would be her road to success?

“What? It’s true. Anyway, that asshole got sentenced to four years in jail. It’s still not enough if you ask me but better than nothing.”

Sophia glared at them. “Hey, didn’t you two want me to finish my homework? I can’t concentrate with your constant chatter.”

Before Carol could apologize, Sophia got up and switched on the radio. At once the room was filled with blaring rap music. 

Turning before she could say something she’d regret, Carol took her water and left the kitchen. She leaned against wall of their living room. Andrea followed closely behind, dropping her purse on their couch.

“A meeting, huh?”

“Pardon me?”

“You’ve got a meeting tonight?”

“Yeah, I… it’s about that new segment, you know. They – “ 

“What’s his name?”

Carol knew she should close her mouth but it took her a moment to follow her brain’s command.

“It’s not - ” 

“Hey, I’m not your daughter. And in the one-and a half year you’ve been working for the station you didn’t have a meeting that early once. Never mind, when you had a meeting it was never scheduled last minute.”

“Well, things changed a lot since they put Shane in command.”

“That you told me. And although you’re an excellent liar when it suits you, you’re not when Sophia’s around. Must be your guilty conscience. So let’s try it one last time. Who is he?”

Without looking at her, Andrea flopped down on the couch. She shrugged off her heels, wincing. Reaching for a foot, she began to rub it, looking at Carol before she spoke.

“This is so much better when you’ve got someone to do it for you.” 

Carol only raised an eyebrow. “Forget it, I won’t rub your feet.”

Andrea grinned. “Don’t take it the wrong way. But you’re not my type.”

“What? I’m not male enough?”

“That and you’re way too nice.”

“You know that nice is so much healthier than naughty.”

“It depends on the right mixture of naughty and nice.”

Carol snorted. “You sound as if you’re secretly dreaming of dating Santa.”

“Well, Tim Allen made for a nice Santa, at least before he grew this hideous beard and got as round as a barrel. That said, you’re going to be late for your ‘meeting’.”

Andrea wouldn’t ask again who she was going to see. She was her friend, was interested in her life, but she didn’t pry when Carol didn’t want to talk. To talk or not to talk, it was Carol’s choice. 

Glancing into the direction of the kitchen where Sophia hopefully still was busy with her homework, Carol sat down beside Andrea.

“I’m going to meet some guy named Daryl for coffee.”

“Some guy named Daryl? Where and when did you meet some guy named Daryl?”

“I called him.”

“So you invited him? Or…?” She paused, looking for a response. “How about you start at the beginning?”

Andrea was well at work on rubbing her second foot while Carol filled her in on how she’d gotten to ‘know’ Daryl, always looking back and forth between the kitchen and her friend. Sophia wasn’t a baby any longer and meeting someone for coffee in a public place wasn’t a crime, but it hadn’t been that long since the shadow of Ed had loomed over them both. 

There wasn’t a day that went by that Carol hoped staying with her husband for as long as she had hadn’t caused any lingering damage in her daughter. She hoped that Sophia wouldn’t follow her footsteps when she began dating. 

“Anyway, I called him again tonight and… well, he suggested meeting for coffee and I agreed. This is crazy, I know. I would call him and tell him to forget it, only that I don’t have his mobile number and if he wants to be on time he’ll be on his way by now.” 

Andrea was silent for so long, Carol wanted to scream. She watched Andrea finishing with her second foot. Finally her friend looked at her.

“I think maybe some ‘crazy’ is just what you need.”

“I’d say I had enough crazy to last a life time.”

Andrea shook her head. “You had enough brutality to last a life time. That’s some heck of a difference. And from what I heard it seems that you barged into Daryl’s life and not vice versa. And as you said yourself, you’re only going to meet him for coffee.”

“Still…”

“No still. Hey, for all you know he could be some fat, bald guy nearing his seventies with a glass eye and a cane.”

Carol snorted. “You’ve got an awful lot of fantasy for a lawyer.”

“I’m a good lawyer because I am creative. Anyway, chances are exponentially high you won’t like that guy or he won’t like you. But you deserve to go out just for the sake of going out and getting to meet someone new. You should live your life, not pass up every opportunity just because you’re afraid to take a chance.”

Carol got up. “You’re way too dramatic.” 

“Yeah, and you’re deflecting. Now go, get ready and out of here. I’ll take care of the monster and should there be any kind of trouble, you call me and I’ll come to your rescue.”

What did she have to lose? An hour of her time, that was all. Maybe Daryl Dixon wouldn’t be the man of her dreams. 

“Okay, see you tomorrow.”

“Oh, no. You’re going to meet this guy, make your way to work and call me. And if you don’t call me, I’ll call you.”

“I can’t call you at work.”

“Uh huh. It’s not as if you haven’t called me from work before. And it’s not as if you called poor little Daryl while still being at work.”

“Andrea…”

“If you don’t call me, I’ll call this cute technician, what was his name again? Sean. I’ll call Sean and make sure he’ll put me on air.”

“You’re an ass.”

“Yeah. And now move yours.”

This was a discussion she couldn’t win. Entering the small room she had claimed as hers, she got out a pair of jeans, a russet tank top and a cardigan. She took a brief shower, dressed and applied a bit of mascara and lip gloss before she snatched some colorful scarf. Briefly, she considered dressing up a bit more than usual.

No, she wouldn’t play pretend for some stranger she wouldn’t like most likely anyway. 

When she was ready to go, she found Sophia and Andrea in the kitchen, playing karaoke with some big, wooden spoons. She took the opportunity to kiss her daughter goodbye since she was in an unusually good mood.

It was only a brief walk and it wasn’t dark yet. Looking behind her now and then, she was thankful for the can of mace in her purse. Ed couldn’t harm them, the streets were far from being deserted and yet, it didn’t mean a thing. As soon as she had earned her first pay check, she’d spent part of it on that can of her mace, another part on a self-defense class. She was done being a victim and if she was overly cautious now, it was only one manifestation of the many scars on her body and her soul. 

The coffee house was rather crowded in spite of the late hour. It was noisy and a great deal of the people inside seemed to be students and business people getting home late, stopping for their last coffee of the day. Looking around, she wondered if one of the men inside was Daryl. It was only a quarter to ten, but she had no idea if he was overly punctual just like she was. Sporting an overweight, bald man who had a good twenty or thirty years on her, she remembered Andrea’s comment from before. 

Could that be Daryl? He hadn’t sounded that old…

She shook her head, got in line to order herself a Vanilla Latte. The young man serving her was beaming at her, holding her gaze for a bit too long. And if that was Daryl? No, this couldn’t be. He said he lived in Fayetteville and it had been her suggesting this place. He could be a student, though, spending his nights learning for exams. 

Paying for her coffee, she thanked the young man and walked over to the counter without sparing him another glance. Please, don’t let Daryl be a student. There was nothing wrong with two consenting adults dating, even when there was an age gap but she didn’t have the cougar-gene as Andrea liked to call it. 

It didn’t matter anyway. This wasn’t a date, not in the common sense of the word, and yet… 

Taking her coffee from a young barista, she scanned the room. There were only three tables left and she decided on the one nearest to the door, no cozy sofa, just chairs that thankfully were more comfortable than they looked.

Sipping her coffee, knowing it would be empty by the time Daryl showed up if she kept this up, she scanned every man passing the coffee shop. 

Who was the creep now?

There were some she wouldn’t have minded if they turned out to be her mystery date. One was tall, in his late forties with his hairline receding. He was wearing jeans and a flannel shirt over a white t-shirt. He wasn’t Baywatch material but he his eyes were kind, his smile easy when he helped a small child up that had fallen over its own feet. At this time the kid should be in bed but the harried looking mother didn’t look as if she cared. Then there was this man walking who walked holding a wooden staff of some kind. His dark eyes were watchful, scanning each person that passed him. His stance was relaxed, though and she would’ve loved to talk to him if only to find out the reason he carried a staff around the city as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

She startled when a young girl waved at her from outside, her thick blonde hair in a ponytail. She walked arm in arm with a slightly older girl, the two of them accompanied by a man Carol thought was their dad. The bearded man looked from his girl to her, smiled briefly before they passed the window. 

Why couldn’t any of them be Daryl? 

She almost shook her head at herself. So she obviously didn’t have a type but was convinced Daryl wouldn’t be it?

This was driving her crazy. Draining her coffee, she looked into the empty cup, then at her watch. It was two past ten. She should get herself a fresh cup. Or how about if she left?

“Carol? Carol Peletier?”

***

This was a crazy, stupid idea. This couldn’t end well. He didn’t like people and people didn’t like him. Fuck it, he didn’t even like the big city when it came right down to it.

And yet, here he was, parking his bike a few minutes before ten in the evening, on his way to meet a woman he’d only spoken to twice and about whom he knew next to nothing about.

Following Carol’s advice, he’d booted his computer, finding WVEE 2’s website easily enough. There was a section introducing the team members and going by names he’d found Carol in no time. 

Until then he hadn’t given much thought to the looks of the woman. Why would he care anyway? Now, the black and white portrait looking back at him had him hold his breath. The first thing he noticed was her hair. With her pixie cut she wore it way shorter than he wore his own. It was impossible to tell with certainty, but he thought it had to be grey, something he didn’t find attractive most of the time. Matched with these big eyes, that had to be clear blue, it fit. Or rather it fit her. Her facial features were fine, her neck long and slender and his hand twitched as if he wanted to reach out and touch her.

He put the laptop away, not even bothering to close the website. Getting up, he paced the hallway once more. What kind of business did he have to meet this woman? He wasn’t an interesting person, was rotten at small talk at his best days. She’d realize she made a mistake wanting to talk to him within the minute. 

He considered calling the number from which she’d called him, took up his phone, only to put it down again. No, he wouldn’t back off with his tail between his legs. He wasn’t a quitter. If he were he wouldn’t have gotten where he was now. 

He wasn’t rich, didn’t have a family waiting for him at home at night, didn’t even have many friends to speak of but he hadn’t followed the path his family had paved for him either. He wasn’t some drunken, redneck trash beating up on his wife and instilling the fear of god in his kids. 

So, after a quick shower, he donned his cleanest pair of jeans, a fresh t-shirt and was on his way.

He found the coffee shop easily enough and a quick glance at his watch told him it was one to ten. Approaching slowly, he spotted Carol at once. She sat at one of the table windows, watching the people passing on the street. The angle she sat meant she couldn’t see him yet, so he stopped, caught the brief smile she shot a girl that waved at her as she walked by with her sister and father in tow. When the family had passed by, she took another sip of the beverage in front of her. 

How long had she been waiting here?

Willing his feet to move again, his heart began beating faster in his chest. Each step took conscious effort. 

What would he even say to her? What would she think when she looked at him? He wasn’t a catch and surely as far away from the man of her dreams as one could be. Not that she was looking for a date. She wasn’t, right?

If he were his brother, he’d march right in, shower her with insincere, cheap compliments and be brushed off in one minute flat. This wasn’t the kind of woman falling for Merle’s shit. It wouldn’t bother his brother, though, who’d just find the next bar and hit on those drunken enough to think he was the best thing that had happened to them in a long while.

Merle, asshole that he was, had game. He didn’t have any. The last time he’d been with a woman, it was customer who had flat out seduced him when fetching her bike. She hadn’t looked for any conversation, was content when he provided her with the physical release she craved. It had been brief, no strings attached, just as he liked it best.

Wiping his hands on the legs of his pants, he pulled open the doors and almost ran into a teenager carrying two cups. The young woman glared at him, passed him without another word. Stepping aside so he wasn’t in people’s way, his gaze found Carol again.

She hadn’t lied, the way she dressed truly bordering on eccentric, only that it wasn’t a bad thing in her case. Her clothes fit her, he could see she was comfortable in her own skin, with who she was. Without wanting to, he remembered another thing his therapist had said to him. That there were two ways to deal when fearing people, that one was to hide in the shadows, to try to attract as little attention as possible, while the other was to consciously stick out. People would stare at you but they would look at the way you dressed, never at the person behind the clothes. He was the first type, was she the second? Or was she just what she appeared to be, beautiful but eccentric? 

Carol looked into her cup, then at her watch. He took a look at his own watch. Two past ten. He was already late. It was now or never.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer to her table.

“Carol? Carol Peletier?”


	4. Chapter 4

First of all, I'm sorry. This chapter was written ages ago and it rested comfortably on my laptop while time ran away from me here. Countless appointments and a sick kid meant there was no time left for fandom or writing these last two weeks. :(

That said, thank you so much, kaoscraze82 for tackling yet another chapter!!! I dread to think what this story would be withour your help. Flowers

 

Daryl Dixon was neither bald nor anyway near retirement age. She was stunned, but in a good way. Of course, she had also been staring at him for longer than was probably considered polite. 

At first glance, she thought Daryl was about her age, maybe a year or two younger. He was a couple of inches taller than her and had some of the bluest eyes she ever stared at. It was the shaggy hair, though, obscuring most of his face, the hint of a beard and the scowl on his face giving her pause. It contrasted with these eyes that looked at her with an almost shy expression in them. Her eyes wandered down the length of his body without her consent, noticing a simple black shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged him in all the right places. And those arms…

“Yeah, that’s me,” she finally found her voice. “Uhm...yo you’re Daryl?” She admonished herself to stop ogling him and rather focus on what to say.

“Yeah, I am.”

She got up, offering him her hand although she felt ridiculous doing so. This wasn’t a business meeting. It wasn’t a date either, though.

He hesitated a moment, but then he gave her his hand. His hand shake was firm, his hands warm, maybe a bit sweaty.

Was he nervous?

They looked at each other for a moment, then away. Oh boy, this had been a bad idea.

“You want another one of those?” Daryl broke the silence, looking down at her empty coffee cup.

“That would be great, yeah. I’m sorry. I was a bit early and got a head start.”

The barest hint of a smile turned the corners of his mouth upward.

“No problem. So what can I get ya?”

“Another Vanilla Latte. But you don’t have to…”

He ignored her, just took her cup and turned. She looked after him, only now realizing that her heart was beating faster than it should. She took a deep breath, willing herself to relax at least a bit before he returned. It seemed he wasn’t the only one nervous here.

So Daryl wasn’t old, ugly or weird. Well, maybe a bit… different but different wasn’t bad in her book. She almost laughed out. When trying to imagine Daryl she had considered a great many scenarios, only not one where he turned out being ruggedly attractive.

She looked back over to see how far he’d gotten towards the end of the line and noticed he was still in the back, but it gave her a good view of his broad shoulders and a nice shot of his ass. It definitely wasn’t a bad view.

God, she had no business ogling virtual strangers. Although who said he had to remain a stranger?

Yeah, right.

No, she refused to entertain these kind of thoughts. After what Ed put her through, she should’ve sworn off men for life. Forcing herself to look everywhere but at Daryl, she almost startled when he came back and put a fresh cup of coffee down in front of her.

“Thank you. What did you get yourself?” she asked, looking at his cup.

“Just plain regular.”

Do you like coffee? Don’t you think this is weird? So what is it you do all night?

All these questions entered her mind and she voiced none of them. They would sound ridiculous. Well, what wouldn’t? Was it too late to admit she was like a fish out of water? Even before Ed she hadn’t had any blind dates and by the way she was grasping for words right now she was sure she wouldn’t have any in the future either.

Daryl was looking down into his cup, not unlike she had earlier.

“You didn’t need to come up all the way from Fayetteville, you know,” she finally said.

“Seemed the most logical thing to do,” he said, shrugging, meeting her gaze for a second before looking away again.

Two nervous people staring awkwardly into their coffee for an hour. This wasn’t going to go horribly wrong at all. She needed to get the conversation going.

“I don’t usually do this, you know,” she said.

“Do what?” This time he looked at her for a long moment.

“Meeting strangers for coffee.”

He snorted. “Ya think I do?”

She smiled. “I can’t know, really but my feelings tell me you don’t.”

“Well, then your feeling’s right.”

Silence fell between them once more, and she gripped her cup tighter, sighing. She knew when to admit defeat.

“Okay, let’s be honest, I’m dreadful at this. I’ve got about a million questions I don’t have any business asking and so I don’t have the least bit of an idea what to say now.”

She wouldn’t have blamed him if he’d gotten up and left at that. He didn’t, and although his facial expression remained mostly impassive, she could swear he was amused.

“I’m here, right? And believe me, I’m worse at this… whatever this is. So how about you ask your questions and if I don’t wanna answer I don’t? Might have some questions of my own, too, ya know?”

She gave him a brief smile. “Okay, deal.”

She took another drink of her coffee, contemplating what to ask.

“So…where do you work?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Thought you’d ask something else first.”

He expected her to ask him what he was doing all night when he couldn't or didn't sleep. It was what had started this date that wasn't a date after all.

“I thought I should start nice and easy.”

He snorted. “Sounds like you’re planning an interrogation.”

Their gaze remained locked, and she wet her lips, her mouth suddenly dry. This time she looked away first.

“I bet you’re one of those people who takes extra time unwrapping their presents,” he said.

“Pardon me?”

There are people who rip open the paper real fast and people who take their time and enjoy the experience.

“And you think I’m the second type?”

“You are, right?”

He was right and yet, she didn’t feel like confirming his suspicions. She wasn’t used to people ‘understanding’ her and not that quickly.

“I figured it was only fair to ask about your job since you know where I work.”

He knew she was deflecting his question but conceded defeat with a brief nod. “I own a bike shop. Well, me and my partner Rick. We sell custom made bikes.”

It fit what she saw. He wasn’t the type of guy spending his days slaving away in some kind of office wearing suits. She would be surprised if he even owned one. What a ridiculous thought.

“Something like ‘Pimp my Ride’?

He snorted. “Yeah, sorta. People come in, tell us what they’re looking for and we make it happen.

Sometimes it’s only a special kind of paint, sometimes they want a different motor. One time we more or less constructed a bike from scratch.”

“So your partner Rick’s a mechanic as well?”

Daryl huffed out a brief laugh. “Hell, no. He’s a former cop. He got better with them bikes over time but you wouldn’t want him fixin’ your bike or car.”

“A former cop?”

“Long story. I take care of the bikes, he takes care of the customers. It works.”

He took a big drink of his coffee, and she found her gaze drawn to his hands. They were big, looked strong, slightly calloused. Would they bruise or be gentle if they decided to touch?  
She quickly looked away.

“So why the radio? And why graveyard shift?”

He had warned her he might have questions of his own. When you asked questions, you had to be prepared to answer some as well. It was fair, after all. Only that the answers were woven too tightly with her past, with the man who almost broke her.

Nothing in her life was ever that simple, not even the easy questions.

“After my divorce my daughter and I moved in with… a friend. I badly needed a job and in spite of my inexperience, my friend got me an interview with the radio station. I’ve got no idea why, but they hired me on the spot, maybe only because I was willing to work the graveyard shift.”

“Ya like it then?”

“Graveyard shift? Kinda, yes. I… I’m kind of night owl. And when I come home, I’ll have breakfast with my daughter, go to bed when she leaves for school. My friend’s with her when I’m at work, so it works. Although Sophia’s almost fourteen and would tell you she doesn’t need a babysitter any longer.”

He nodded. “I bet she thinks she knows everything better by now, huh?”

She laughed out.“Yeah, she does. She always was this sweet little girl and one day she woke up and I was faced with this angry girl I never met before. You have any kids?”

“No.”

He spoke with a vehemence that made her frown. She almost asked if he didn’t like kids, but she bit her tongue at the last minute.

“So tell me more about the bikes you make. It sounds interesting.”

After a moment of hesitation, he began to speak. He wasn’t much of a natural talker, she could tell.

He was succinct and always to the point. Still, she could tell he loved what he did, that he was good at it, too.

“I would love to have a look at your shop some time,” she said when there was natural pause in conversation.

He looked stunned and she’d bet she did, too. She hadn’t meant to sound as if she wanted to meet him again. Well, she did, at least she thought so, but all she’d meant just now was she wanted to see for herself what he’d described.

If she elaborated on her statement now, it would only sound stilted.

“Well, we’re down in Fayetteville as you know, but if you wanna come and take a look you’re welcome. You own a bike?”

It was her turn to laugh out. “No. Never have ridden on one either. My parents wouldn’t have stood for it and after settling down… well, there was never time to contemplate things like that.”

There hadn’t been any money to spend to talk of and what little they had, Ed spent drinking, sometimes gambling. Over the years she’d gotten good at putting some money aside here and there, but it hadn’t been much and had all been used to help get her and Sophia away from the sick bastard.

“If you make the trip you can take a test ride,” he said.

Feeling he had said too much, Daryl drained his coffee, wondering if he should get himself another one or end this before he could put his big foot in his mouth for good.

He didn’t want to sound too eager, didn’t want to sound as if he assumed she really wanted to come down and visit him. For all he knew she’d only said it to be polite. Or maybe not. Maybe she was as unused to this kind of situation as he was. Hadn’t she said so herself?  
Carol was a surprise. Although he’d looked at her picture, she was so very different when she talked.

Her face lit up when something interested here and she’d scrunched her nose talking about her daughter being what seemed to be a typical teenager. While she spoke in a calm and soothing voice, her eyes were lively and expressive enough he had to remind himself not to stare.  
He didn’t know her from Adam and still, for some unfathomable reason he felt he could relate to her.

They clicked as Rick would call it. At least he thought they did. He didn’t trust his instincts when it came to women. It was better this way. It meant less chance to humiliate himself.

Looking at Carol after some time had passed without an answer from her, he found her frowning into her coffee.

“You don’t have to,” he backtracked.

Yeah, he had been making an ass off himself.

She looked up at him, her mouth curling into a self-deprecating smile. “Oh, I want to. I’m just not sure if this is a good idea.”

“Well, like I said, you don’t have to.”

She pulled at a lose string of her cardigan. “I… I would love to try but I feel like I kinda forced myself on you and that would be twice now.”

“You’re not forcing yourself on me. Wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to. And I told ya to call, right?”  
She pulled at the string again, stopping herself when she realized what she was doing.

“You know, I’d like to believe you”

“So come to the shop and I’ll prove it.”

He couldn’t tell why, but he wanted her to say yes.

“So, yeah, I’ll come and take a look.”

She took a quick look at her watch, frowned. He knew it was getting late, but wanted her to stay for a while longer. He was enjoying himself as much as he could out in public, and he wanted to this feeling to last as long as possible.

“Why don’t you tell me somethin’ about your daughter. Seems to be quite a handful.”

Carol laughed out. “Oh, she’s really not. Most of the time anyway. She’s actually a good girl.”

Carol was proud of her daughter. It was visible in the way she talked about her, how she seemed to smile from the inside out. So that’s what parental love should look like. He knew his mother had loved Merle and him, but she hadn’t been able to cope with their life, had drowned her sorrows in alcohol. There were a few good memories here and there but all in all… she had been there and yet not.

Carol told him about how Sophia had lectured her for coming home late from work, but she found herself distracted by her watch again shortly after. “Dammit, if I don’t hurry, I’ll be late for work.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to keep you,” he said.

He was about to get up, but her hand shot out, coming to rest on his wrist so he sat down again.

Carol pulled back at once. “No, I’m sorry. And yes I have to leave but I enjoyed myself. Thank you.”

He just nodded, wanting to tell her he had, too, but the words refused to come.

“So, how about I call you about coming down to Fayetteville.?”

“Yeah. Do that.”

Now it was Carol who got up and when she did their gazes locked. If he only knew what it was about this woman that made him want to say all kind of things he’d regret, while leaving him tongue-tied at the same time.

“Okay, I better leave now,” she finally said.

“Sure.”

He didn’t know if he should wait here until she had left before he followed her outside or not, but when she passed him with her empty cup, looking at him over her shoulder, he decided to follow her.

They put their cups onto a tray on the next service wagon and he remembered last minute to hold the door open for her.

She gave him a surprised look. “Thank you.”

He only shrugged, burying his hands in the pants of his pockets.

“I need to head this way,” she said, pointing ahead of her.

His bike was in the opposite direction.

“Parked my bike over there,” he said, looking behind him.

“Okay, then I guess I’ll call you.”

“Yeah, do that.”

She gave him a last smile before she left and he watched her until she’d rounded the next corner before turning around. Walking over to his bike, he hardly noticed the people he passed on his way, was too lost in his thoughts.

This hadn’t been too bad. In fact, it hadn’t been bad at all. Carol hadn’t looked at him as so many people in his life had, as if he was a weirdo they didn’t want to spend any time with. She had seemed interested in who he was, what he had to say.

Why? He had no idea. The best thing, though, she hadn’t been perfect either. He had noticed the little hints of nervousness. They had been on equal ground.

And she wanted to see him again. He only hoped she would make good on it.  
Carol was barely in the studio when her cell phone rang. Andrea, of course.

“You promised to call.”

“Sorry, I only just got in. And I don’t have much time to talk.”

“Yeah, yeah, your show’s about to start, I know. So how was your date?”

“It wasn’t a date.”

“And how was your non-date?”

She grinned, couldn’t help it. She was relieved Andrea couldn’t see her right now or she wouldn’t hear the end of it.

“Good. And he’s not some creepy senior looking for his lost youth and his missing teeth.”  
Andrea snorted. “How… comforting. So what is he then?”

Even if she’d wanted to, she wouldn’t know how to describe Daryl.

“Different. Quiet. Somewhat. But nice… underneath.”

“Underneath?”

“Yeah. Listen, I’ll satisfy your curiosity tomorrow, okay?”

“Not really, but I take what I can get.”

Waving to Sean, who just came in with a cup of coffee in hand, she sat down, scanned the pile of paper thrown all over her work station. It reeked like Shane and she wished she had the chance to give him a piece of her mind. What did he think he was doing here? She was sure he had no idea either.

“How’s Sophia?” she asked, deciding to ignore the chaos for now.

“She’s doing good. Finished her homework, watched some CSI re-run and went to bed. In and between we had dinner and talked some. I think she… well, I really should let you get back to work.”

All of Carol’s alarm bells began ringing. She gripped her phone harder.

“She what, Andrea?”

“Hey, no need to snap at me. She’s okay, just as I told you.”

“Andrea, for the love of whatever is holy, you tell me what you were hinting at just now or I’ll come and get it out of you in person.”

She couldn’t change the past, even though she wished she could. All she could do was trying to make sure Sophia would grow into a strong woman. And whatever concerned her daughter wouldn’t be ignored. She was done ignoring the obvious.

“Calm down, Carol,” Andrea said. “I’m sorry. Really. And it’s nothing. I was about to say that I think she’s got a crush on some boy. It’s really just a hunch, nothing more. That’s why I decided last second that it might be best not to say anything.”

Carol let out a breath. “A crush? She’s not even fourteen yet.”

“And? At fourteen I had this little notebook comparing guys and the way they kissed.”

“Geez, you sound like a…,” it was Carol’s turn to trail off.

“Like a slut?” Andrea laughed out. “Let me guess, you were well behaved and went to Sunday school.”

“Yes, I did. But you know about my parents.”

“I can’t imagine growing up with two pastors, really. It’s a wonder you grew up to be a sane person.”

Carol sighed. “I ended up with Ed, remember?”

“There’s that. But I don’t think your parents are to be blamed for him. And neither are you. When will you go and visit them anyway?”

“My parents? I don’t know. I know I should, but…”

“They won’t judge you. They love you. Hey, I met them remember?”

“I do.”

She also remembered the look on her mother’s face when she saw her sporting a black eye and a split lip with her arm in a cast. Shuddering, she tried to wrap herself tighter into her cardigan with her one free hand.

“Okay, enough of that. It’s not memory lane night. So I’m curious, now that you talked to Daryl, what does he do all night?”

Carol groaned out. “I didn’t ask.”


End file.
